Transfer car for moving boxes in warehouses and the like



Julyi3,192& 1.675,722

' C; H. MOORES TRANSFER CAR FORIOVING BOXES IN WAR EHOUSES AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 24K192s a Sheqts-Sheet 1 1&1.

July 3, .1928.v c. H. MOORES TRAN$FER ,CAR FORJIOVING BOXES IN WREHbUSES AND THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 24, 1925 Patented July 3, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. MOORES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.. ASSIGNOR T0 MOORES a D NFORD, me, or

- NEW YORK. N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

TRANSFER CAR FOR MOVTNG BOXES IN WAREHOU SES AND THE LIKE.

, Application flled August 24, 1923. Serial No. 659,034.

This invention relates to certain improvements in devices for handling storage boxes in storage warehouses and like buildings.

In certain methods for handling goods in storage warehouses thegoods are stored in individual boxes of approximately a van load size. These boxes are stored in warehouses in which the floors are divided into compartments which may or may not be walled, these compartments being arranged in line. In front of these compartments are arranged tracks on which may run a car on which the boxes may be transferred from an elevator and then moved to a desired compartment on the floor, one or more of these cars being provided for each floor of the warehouse.

, The especial object of the present invention is to provide an improved transfer car mechanism for warehouses of this type, of such construction as to facilitate the handling of the boxes both in moving them into the storage compartments or removing them therefrom, and an improved box which may be used equally well in warehouse construc- .tions where the compartments are constructed with or without tracks.

\Vith these and other objects not specifically referred to, the invention consists in certain novel arrangements, parts and combinations, which will be described in conneetion with the accompanying drawings and the novel features thereafter pointed out in theclaims hereunto annexed.

Referring now to these drawings-- Figure 1 is a plan view, partly broken away and partly in section of the improved transfer car and certain associated mechanisms.

Figure 2 is an end view, partly in section, of the construction shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on the line of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional side view on an enlarged scale, the section being taken on line 44 of Fig. 1.

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view on line 55 of Fig. 4. I

Figures 6 and 7 are detail plan views illustrating the operation of the track aligning device.

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic plan View of one floor of a storage warehouse arranged 3 of the storage warehouse. ever, these rails are not present, the storage for the individual storage of the storage boxes.

- Figure 9 is a detail plan view of the car supporting frames.

Referring now to these drawings and first to Figure 8, the warehouse, indicated by the numeral 1, may be of any desired number of floors, the ground floor being illustrated. This warehouse is constructed with compartments 2 of any suitable frame work design which may or may not be Walled, and in the particular construction, illustrated each compartment is provided with a pair of tracksZ-l, though under certain circumstances if desired these may be omitted. The compartments 2 are arranged side by side in line and have extending in front of them tracks 4, 5 (see also Fig. 2). .()n these tracks run the transfer cars by which the boxes may be transferred from a common elevator 6 provided with a turn table 7 to any of the compartments 2, as may be desired. The boxes, indicated generally by the numeral 8, may run off trucks 9 on' to the elevator and from this to the transfer car. In the particular construction shown there are two transfer cars marked 10, 11 for each floor of the warehouse. These transfer cars may all be identical. in construction, and a description of'one will suflice for all.

The particular form and construction of this transfer car may, of course, be somewhat smaller in diameter than the wheels 13 and located closely adjacent thereto so that the Wheels 13 may act as a flange to hold the wheels 14 on the varioustracks on which it has to run. With this construction in a warehouse in which the compartments are provided with the tracks 3 the wheels 14 run on rails 12 of the transfer car and the rails Where, howbox may run into the compartment from the transfer car on the large wheels 13.

. While this framing may be of various charlike the outer frame a.

acters, it will in the construction illustrated, include what may be termed an outer frame a and an inner frame 6. The outer frame 0 includes side members 15, 16 and front and rear members 17, 18, these frame members being preferably in the form of channel irons, and the inner frame b includes a front member 19 and side members 20, the side members at their rear ends being connected to the rear member 18 of the outer frame a. The members of this frame are also preferably in the form of channel irons, The side members 20 of the frame b are provided with a pair of rear bearings 21, 22 which sup ort the driving axle 23 of the car, this driving axle being provided with a pair of wheels 24 which run on the tracks 4, 5, before referred to. The front end of the inner frames 20 also support bearings 25, 26 for the front axle 27 of the car. this axle being provided with a )air of wheels 28, these wheels being pre erably smaller than the rear wheels 24, just referred to, the bearings for the small wheels depending from the frames 20 and the bearings for the large wheels being arranged just above the frames. With this construction, therefore, the car maintains a level position.

These frames support the driving and controlling mechanism and the tracks. While these various mechanisms may be supported by the frames in various ways, in the particular construction illustrated there is mounted on these frames a bed 30 indicated in Fig. 1, and in dotted lines in Fig. 9. This bed is substantially coextensive with the frames, being cut away however at the corners as indicated at 31 in Fig. 9, to provide space for the car wheels. This bed is also cut away on the sides. as indicated at 32 in Fig. l, to provide space for the operation of certain mechanisms hereinafter referred to.

The transfer car is driven by a power mechanism which is preferably carried on the car itself, the power mechanism employed in the best constructions being an electrically operated power mechanism. In the constructions embodying the inventionin its best form, however, the power mechanism is electrically operated, and means are preferably provided for automatically throwing off the power in case the car should accidentally travel too far in either direction at at the ends of its travel on the rails on which it runs, so as to prevent injury to the car bycollisien with the walls of the building. \Vhile the particular construction of these various mechanisms may be somewhat varied, that illustrated has been found effective in practice. As shown the power element of the driving mechanism is an electric motor 33 mounted on a support 34 supported on the bed 30, before referred to. The shaft 35 of this motor is provided with a worm 36 which is in mesh with a worm wheel 37 (see Fig. 2) on a short shaft 38 journalcd 1n bearin s 39 (see Fig. 1) on a standard 40 secured on the bed 30 This short shaft at one end has a miter pinion 41 which is in mesh with a miter gear 42 on the axle 23, before referred to, the axle thus being driven through this connection.

The electric current is delivered to the motor by a cable 43. To keep this cable from becoming snarled up, and to break the connection, and stop the motor if the car moves too far, means are provided whereby the cable will be coiled or uncoil'ed as the car moves to and fro in its travel, and if the car goes too far in one direction such movement of the car will disconnect the cable from the source of electrical su ply. As shown the cable is carried on a rum 44 and the end of the cable has a slip connection with a socket 45 in the wall of the building or other suitable and convenient place, current being supplied to this socketthrough connections not illustrated. This drum 44 is mounted (see Fig. 2) on a shaft 46 which rotates the bearings 47 on standards 48 bolted to the bed 30, before referred to. lurrent is supplied from the cable to the motor by means of circuit wires 0:, y to commutator rings 49 on the end of the drum shaft outside the drum but insulated therefrom. From these rings 49 current is taken off by brushes 50 and delivered to the motor over circuits 51, 52.

This drum is a driven d'rum so as to wind up the cable. and this drum is driven at the speed of the car. While various constructions may be provided for effecting this, in the particular construction illustrated there is provided a shaft 53 extending lengthwise of the car. This shaft is supported below the bed 30 at the front end of the car in a hanger 54 and at this end of the shaft there is provided a miter gear 55 which is in mesh with a miter 56 fast on the front axle 27, before referred to. The rear end of this shaft is supported from a bracket 57 depending from the under side of the bed 30 and is provided with a miter gear 58 which meshes with a miter 59 on a short shaft 60 supported in hangers 61, 62 depending from the bed 30. This short shaft 60 is provided with a sprocket 63 over which passes a driving chain 64, this chain alsn passing over a sprocket 65 on the shaft 46 of the drum, before referred to. With this construction the drum is driven at the speed at which the car travels so that if the car goes too fast or too far the cable 43 is pulled from its socket45 and the power is thrown off.

In car constructions embodying the invention in its best form andwhere the car is used in warehouses in which the storage compartments are provided with rails, such as rails 3, means are provided whereby the rails 12 on the transfer car and the rails 3 in the storage compartments may be brought into alignment so as to provide a continuous track for running the storage boxes on and off the transfer car. While these aligning devices may vary in their construction, as shown there are provided a pair of channel irons 66, 67, these channel irons having ends 68 inturned toward each other, as shown in Fig. 1, at each side of the car, these inturned ends forming in effect cam surfaces. These aligning bars are mounted on the bed to have a sidewise sliding movement between the rails 12 so that by sliding the aligning bars to one side or the other of the car if the rails 3 and the rails 12 happen to be out of alignment one of the cam surfaces 68 will catch a rail 3 and a continuation of the sliding movement will cause the transfer car to be moved slightly forward or back thus bringing the rails 3 and the rails 12 into alignmentas shown diagrammatically in Figs. 6 and 7 While the specific means for moving the aligning bars may be of various characters, the construction preferably will be such that the bars will be moved together. In the construction shown the bars are secured together by cross bars 69 and to strengthen the con- 7 struction crossed bars 70, 71 are also provided, these bars being secured at opposite ends to the aligning bars 66, 67 A sliding movement is. given the bars by means (see Figs. 1 and 3) of a pair of racks 72, 73 fast on the bars 66, 67. Meshing with these racks are pinions 74 on a shaft 75 mounted in hangers 76 depending from the bed 30, before referred to, the pinions work ng through. slots 77 formed in the bed. This shaft 75 is or may be operated by a hand wheel 78 on a stud 79 carried from a plate 80 supported in a frame 81 rising from the bed 30, before referred to. This stud 78 has a pinion 82 which meshes with a pinion 83 on a vertical shaft 84, this shaft beingsupported in bearings 85, 86 and having at its bottom a worm 87 in mesh with a worm wheel 68 on the shaft 75, before referred to. \Vith this construction an accurate aligning of the tracks on the car and in the storage compartments is provided.

In the best constructions guides are provided for guiding the aligning bars as they are given their sliding movement and these guides, furthermore, act to hold .down the aligning bars at their ends and provide a rigid structure. As shown, these guides are in the form of flanged brackets 89, the

flanges 90 of which take over the edges of the aligning bars. These brackets,of course, may be provided in suitable numbers, two such brackets being shown in the drawings (see Fig. 1). i

Under certain circumstances and particularly where a heavy box is to be moved on or oil the transfer car, it may be desirable to provide means for starting the box. While these means, of course, maybe some what varied, as shown there is provided at each side of the transfer car a pair of drums 91, 92 on which maybe wound starting cables 93 provided with hooks 94 which may be hooked into suitable staples in the walls of the boxes (not shown). 'By rotating these drums the box may be given a starting movement on to or from the transfer car. particular construction illustrated for effecting this the drums are carried on shafts 96, 97 which have their bearings in hangers 98 depending from the bed 30, before referred to. These shafts may be rotated by hand wheels 99, 100 secured on studs101, 102 in plates 103 carried inframes 104, 105 rising from the side frames 15, 16, before referred to. These wheels are providedwith wheel operated chains 106 which pass-over upper sprockets 107 on the studs 101, 102, before referred to, and lower sprockets 108 on the shafts 96, 97, before referred to. With this construction thebox may be given a starting movement on or off the car, it being understood that the starting cable if used, is hooked on to the box. y r

In transfer cars constructed in the preferred form, means are provided for locking the box in position on the transfer car so as to prevent any accidental starting of the box. While various constructions may be employed for this, these locking devices are in the form of wheel stops, a stop being provided for each wheel. In theparticular construction shown, where wheel stops are employed these wheel stops will preferably be in sets and be of such character thatthe two stops at each end of the box may be simultaneously released. As illustrated these stops are in the form of arms 109 carrying a stop 110 having a beveled face 111 (see Fig. 5) adapted to bear against the face of the wheel. These arms are mounted on hubs 112 on a stud 113 supported in brackets 114 secured to the side of the frame members 20, before referred to. These arms are arranged in pairs and are connected so that two of them may be simultaneously operated. In the construction shown the hubs 112 carry arms 115 and two of these arms on each side of the car, as shown in Fig. 1 are connected to a pair of split rods 116, 117, these rods being connected to a rocking lever 118 pivoted at 119. One of these rods, as rod 116, is secured to one arm 120 of the bell crank lever pivoted at 121. The other arm In the 122 of the bell crank lever carries an operating pedal 123. The arms 115 are operated against a spring 124. It follows with this construction that by depressing the pedal 123 the wheel stop will be moved from the full line position in Fig. 4 to the dotted line position, so that a box may he run on to the transfer car. ()n the release of the pedal 123 the stops are turned by the spring to the full line position and act to lock the wheels of the box on the transfer car.

\Vhile the invention has been shown and described in What is believed to be its best and most practical form, it will be understood that various changes could be devised for effecting the functions and objects of the inventiomand that the invention includes such obvious changes and is not restricted to the s ecific arrangement of the parts illustrated \Vhat I claim. is:

1. In a storage structure, stora e compartments, tracks therein, a line 0 tracks along, the, compartments at right angles to the trucks therein, a transfer car movable on these latter tracks, tracks on the transfer car, and means carried by the car and cooperating with the tracks in the compartments to move the car to align the tracks on the car and in the compartments and for holding the car against movement after the tracks have been aligned.

2. In a storage structure, storage compartments, tracks therein, a line of tracks extending in front of the compartments, a transfer car movable on the latter tracks, tracks on the car, parallel alignin; members carried by the car adjacent the tracks thereon, racks connected with the members, and means for moving the racks for aligning the tracks on the car and the tracks in the storage compartments. 7

3. In a storage structure, storage compartments, tracks therein, a line of tracks extending in front of the compartments, a transfer car movable on the latter tracks,

1&6753728 tracks on the car, a pair of spaced slides having their ends inturned towards each other, and means for moving the slides into contact with the tracks in the oompartmentfor etfecting a lineup of the compartment and car 7 tracks.

4. In a storage structure, storage comalong the compartments, a transfer car moV- V able on the latter tracks, tracks on the transfer car, and spaced means carried by the car and acting to move the car laterally for aligning the tracks on the car and in the compartments.

6. In a storage structure, storage compart. ments, tracks therein, a hneof tracks extendinc; along the compartments, a transfer car 'movable on the latter tracks, tracks on the car, aligning members carried by the car, and means for moving the aligning members into contact with the tracks in the compartments for aligning such tracks with the tracks on the car.

7. In a storage structure, storage compartments, tracks therein, a, line of tracks extending along the co artments, a transfer car movable on the",atter tracks, tracks on the car, a pair of sliding members having cam ends, and means for moving the members into contact with the tracks in the compertinent for efiecting a, lining up of the compartment and the car tracks.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto 9 set my hand I ormnnns H. MOORES. 

